Financial Covid-19 Response

Susan Hall: You could please detail how the GLA adjusted financially to the Covid-19 crisis; including but not limited to details of any internal transfers or allocations of funds - to or away from directorates in particular - as well as the (re)deployment of any staff or other resources?

The Mayor: The GLA reacted quickly to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff and resources were approved to programmes as set out below. The funding sources are also included.
Costs – approved expenditure
2020-21 Total Forecast (£000s)
Funding source
Emergency provision for rough sleepers (i.e. hotels): MHCLG round 1
9,000
MHCLG
Additional rough sleeping:
Housing and Land budget
1,550
Housing and Land
Emergency support fund
5,000
Reserves
Culture business support fund
2,325
Reserves
Business Support Programme
1,000
Reserves
Other items
200
Reserve
Total
19,075
In addition, the GLA played a pivotal role in procuring temporary mortuaries across London to prepare for the forecast increase in the number of deaths because of COVID-19. These costs are not included here because they are to be reimbursed from the Boroughs.
During the response to the pandemic, we deemed staff who had been redeployed to be those who were undertaking fundamentally different roles, be that within their substantive, or to a different directorate. We had 83 individuals who fell into this category. The greatest levels of redeployment were seen in Strategy and Communications, Good Growth, Communities & Skills and Housing & Land. These directorates redeployed their own staff onto different types of work, and also received additional support from staff from other directorates. Support in the form of redeployees was also provided to the Strategic Coordination Group.

Housing

Andrew Boff: How will housing help London's recovery?

The Mayor: Boosting housing delivery has the potential to support jobs and help drive London’s recovery from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is essential that the Government steps up and offers the support required. The GLA’s cross-sector Housing Delivery Taskforce has called for a one-off recovery package of £5 billion from Government. This would fund a ‘buyer of last resort’ scheme to allow councils and housing associations to buy unsold private homes at cost price for use as genuinely affordable homes. The fund would also support a programme to convert housing currently planned for low-cost ownership and private sale into homes at social and intermediate rent levels, where there is a risk to delivery.
We also need a significant, longer-term increase in funding from the Government for affordable housing. Increasing the supply of genuinely affordable homes, in particular homes at social rent levels, will help to meet the housing needs of Londoners, protect construction jobs, and support London’s economic recovery.